Voting-key mechanism



W. J. LAUSTERER.

VOTING KEY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-1.1919.

1,363,885, Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

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WILLIAM J. LAUSTERER, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

VOTING-KEY MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 28, 1920.

Application filed October 1, 1919. Serial No. 327,797.

To all 10 ham it may concern:

,Be it known that I, VVILLIAM J. LAUS- 'rnnnn, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Key Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to voting machines and particularly to. the voting key mechanism thereof. The obj ectof the invention is to provide voting keys with releasable retaining means so that the keys may be removed wherever no nominations appear and there will be left on the keyboard only such keys as are required for voting.

A further object of the invention is to make the key retaining means simple 1n structure and operation and secure against tampering by any voter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a face View of a portion of a keyboard illustrating the invention, with one key handle removed.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the key handle detached.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a voting key in lower voting position and illustrating a modification, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of key retaining means for a number of rows of keys.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, a vertical face plate 5 of a voting machine is provided on its front face with name strip or ballot label holders 6 having S-shaped flanges 7 at each edge retaining the ballot labels 8 and the transparent cover strips 9 in front of the labels. Between holders 6 are rows of voting keys 10. Each key comprises a shank 11 (see Fig. 2) journaled in the face plate 5 and having an enlarged front end 12 while the inner or rear end 13 has fastened to it by nut 14 the disk 15 adapted to actuate the interlocking and registering mechanism (not shown). Disk 15 is recessed to fit over the end 13 and has flat faces engaging flat faces 16 of said end so that the disk turns with the shank 11 to actuate the interlocks and the register control.

The voting key handle 18 is separably fitted to the shank portion 11 by recess 20 of the handle receiving projection 21 of the shank and by pins 22 of the handle portion engaging in holes 23 in the shank end 12. In Figs. 3 and 4c, the key is shown rotated to its lower or voting position, and Fig.

at illustrates a modified form of engagement between the key handle 18 and shank portion 11 in which the pins 22 and holes 23 are replaced by mating flat faces 26 on the shank end 12 and in the recess 20 of the handle hub 27.

To hold each key handlesecurely in place and in engagement with its shank, reduced portions 29 are provided in the handle hubs 27 fitting in narrow slots 28in locking strips 30 sliding in the channel ends 31 of flanges 7 of the ballot label holders. The narrow slots 28 open into enlargedopenings 33 of larger diameter than the hubs 27. The looking strips 30 are longitudinally movable; when at one extreme (to the right full line position Fig. 1) they position the narrow slots 28 on the reduced portions 29 to look all the key handles in place, and when at the other extreme (to the left dotted line position, Fig. 1) they position the larger openings 33 around the handle hubs to permit any desired key handles to be removed from the machine.

All the locking strips 30 are movable together by bar 35 connected to their ends and the bar 35 may be moved by a bell crank lever 40 pivoted at all and engaged at 12 with a slot a3 in bar 35. The arm 44 of the lever 4:0 is extended in any convenient manner to be accessible for instance from the outside of the machine, to move the rod 35, and is preferably provided with locking means as indicated at 4:6 to lock the bar 35 at its position to the right (Fig. 1) with the key handles engaged in slots 28.

With the parts thus positioned, the key handles are securely held in operative posi tion and the securing means cannot be tampered with by a voter to remove the key or loosen its connection with the interlocking and registering parts. On the other hand. the holding means may be easily moved by the custodian of the machine by turning lever 4:0 upward and moving rod 35 to the left. as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 5, to position openings 33 around the key handle hubs and permit removal or replacement of any key. The parts are then returned to full line position Fig. 5 and locked, and the voters, while being prevented from tampering with the mechanism, are confronted only With keys for nominated candidates or presented questions and are not confused by useless extra keys at any part of the board.

I claim 1. In a voting machine, the combination with a support, 01 voting key members mounted on said support, detachable voting key handles adapted to engage said members to actuate them, and a single releasable holding means for retaining a plurality of said key handles in operative position.

2. In a voting machine, the combination with a support, of a row of voting members mounted on said support, detachable voting key handles adapted to actuate said members, and a movable locking rod adapted to retain said keys in one position and release them in another.

3. In a voting machine, the combination with a support, of a row of voting members mounted on said support, detachable r oting key handles adapted to actuate said members, a rod extending along said row and retaining said handles in operative position, and means Within the control of the custodian of the machine for moving said red.

at. In a voting machine, the combination with a support of a plurality of l'OWS of voting members on said support, detachable key handles adapted to actuate said members, a plurality of rods extending along said rows and engaging said handles to hold the same in operative position, and a single means for retaining said rods to release said handles so that any oil the latter may be removed from the machine.

5. In a voting machine, the combination with a plurality of rows of moving members, of ballot label holders therefor, detachable voting key handles adapted to engage and actuate said members, and retaining means mounted between said holders and movable to lock said key handles in operative position or release them so that any handle may be removed.

WILLIAM J. LAUSTER Eli. 

